London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

A national campaign to keep the East Coast Main Line in public hands was launched today despite one in 10 trains running late.

Critics of government plans to hive
off the London to Aberdeen line back to the private sector highlight that since
the route was renationalised in 2009 it has paid back more than £600 million to
the Treasury.

The Government insists privatisation
will go ahead and plans to sell-off the line by February 2015, before the
General Election.

Labour pledged an on-going campaign
to keep the line under public control with it forming a key election issue.

Shadow transport secretary Maria
Eagle kicked-off the campaign at King’s Cross station today handing out
leaflets to passengers which urged them to “Keep East Coast on Track.”

Ms Eagle said: “Despite the East
Coast being recognised as the most cost effective franchise by the independent
rail regulator ORR, David Cameron wants to sell it off before the next
election.

“It is a public success story which
he does not want voters to know about. We do and need their help to keep it in
public hands.”

Labour has pledged to keep the line
under public control if it wins in 2015.

Similar demonstrations - backed by
Labour MPs and the transport trade unions - took place today along the route at
Newark, Doncaster, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle stations.

Manuel Cortes, general secretary of
the TSSA transport union and who backed Ms Eagle at King’s Cross, said: “The
success of the East Coast line has exposed the myth that private rail companies
offer better value for money to the taxpayer.

“They don’t, they swallow more
subsidies and run slower trains.”

Latest statistics show that one in
10 ECML trains is late; punctuality for the four weeks ending 25 May was 89.4
per cent against the national average of 91 per cent for the same period.

The key London to Scotland line has
been under the control of the Department for Transport (DfT) as a not-for-profit operator after
transport giant National Express pulled out.

Patrick McLoughlin, the transport
secretary, said: “Above all, in future franchise competitions we are placing
passengers in the driving seat by ensuring that their views and satisfaction
levels are taken into account when deciding which companies run our railway
services.

“Franchising has been a force for
good in the story of Britain’s railways, transforming an industry that was in
decline into one that today carries record
numbers of passengers.”